WHAT IS SELF ESTEEM?  Self esteem or self concept refers to a person’s feelings or mental images about himself/herself  People with high self esteem know themselves, respect themselves, and appreciate their own self worth. They know they’re not perfect and don’t blame themselves for making mistakes  That does not mean being arrogant, vain, conceited, egotistical, or feeling superior to others.

WHY IS SELF ESTEEM IMPORTANT?  Accept challenges  Enrich life  Maintain self confidence – belief in self makes anything possible  Remain flexible – change isn’t easy but having positive self image helps

EFFECTS OF LOW SELF ESTEEM  Lack of self confidence  Poor performance – lack of self-confidence = lack of effort; performance is not a reflection of ability in this case  Distorted view of self and others – think other people are better  Unhappy personal life – lonely – not fun being around negative people

INFLUENCES ON SELF ESTEEM  Heredity  Environment  Cultural factors - society has expectations – if we don’t fit – negative self- concept

SOCIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO SELF ESTEEM  Family-Spouse, Parent, Grandparent, Siblings  Friends- Neighbours, Peers  School- Classmates, Teachers, Counsellors  Work- Supervisors, Co-workers, Being able to support ones self/family  Society- Members of different cultures, races and Religions

Family  Parents are main contributors in shaping self esteem  People with high SE usually have warm and supportive parents, who set clear goals, and who allow their children to be involved in family decision making

Friends  Friends and romantic partners have more influence than parents and other family members during the teen years Society Experiences with members of different cultures, races and religions, and with standards and images created by others (i.e. media) influence SE